Shillong: In a move underscoring growing national concern over the state of affairs at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, the Union Ministry of Education has dispatched two senior officials for an urgent review of the institution’s operations.
Additional Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal and Director Subrat Kumar Pradhan of the Department of Higher Education are leading the federal delegation, signaling the Centre’s intent to directly address the administrative instability gripping the university.
The development follows an official communication from Under Secretary DK Himanshu, who has coordinated with Meghalaya’s Chief Secretary DP Wahlang and Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang to ensure proper protocol and security arrangements during the visit. The high-level intervention comes at a critical juncture for NEHU, where internal conflicts and leadership disputes have led to sustained operational disruptions, drawing the attention of the highest echelons of educational governance.
While the university grapples with its internal crisis, the Academic Council successfully convened on Wednesday, May 21, marking its first meeting in six months. Chaired by Vice Chancellor in-charge Prof Sherwin May Sungoh, the marathon session ran from 10:30 am to 6:50 pm and saw participation from nearly 130 council members. In a decisive move, the council approved key academic measures, including the syllabus for the final semesters of the newly introduced four-year undergraduate program.
The meeting also addressed a backlog of unresolved issues — from PhD result declarations and syllabus revisions to examination protocols and affiliation matters. Discussions aimed to bring uniformity to the grading system across departments and standardise academic procedures that had long been pending due to the university’s administrative paralysis.
NEHUTA President Lakhon Kma described the session as “productive and unanimous,” highlighting that all agenda items were thoroughly deliberated and passed without contention. He affirmed the council’s recognition of Prof Sungoh’s authority to preside over the meeting in her capacity as acting vice chancellor, despite earlier warnings from Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla, who had cautioned against convening the session and hinted at potential consequences.
The federal delegation’s visit and the Academic Council’s successful sitting are likely to shape the future course of NEHU’s administrative and academic trajectory, as both internal and external stakeholders seek a path toward institutional stability and governance reform.